England’s Barry Sheene, Formula 750 World Champion in 1973 and 500 cc World Champion in 1976 and 1977, was inducted into the Motor Sport Hall of Fame on June 7. Sheene beat out a shortlist of 12 potential inductees that included Joey Dunlop, Mike Hailwood, Soichiro Honda, Geoff Duke and Wayne Rainey in a public vote. The ceremony, held at the Royal Automobile Club’s Woodcote Park Clubhouse, also included a demonstration of Sheene’s recently restored 1976 title-winning Suzuki.

Sheene’s life was similar to that of his friend and F1 champion James Hunt. He drank and smoked heavily — Sheene had a hole drilled through the lower edge of his helmet so that he could smoke while on the grid — socialized with the likes of Ringo Starr and George Harrison, and began dating Stephanie McLean, a former Penthouse Pet of the Year while she was still married. They married once she was divorced, and had two children. Later, the family moved to Australia’s Gold Cost in the hopes that the warmer weather would help relieve the arthritis pain arising from Sheene’s many injuries.

Barry Sheene died in 2002 from complications arising from cancer of the esophagus and stomach. The 51 year-old Sheene had refused conventional chemotherapy, opting instead for a holistic diet meant to starve the cancer of nourishment. He lived eight months.

Martyn Ogborne, Sheene’s mechanic during his championship seasons, joined forces with Nigel Everett to restore the Suzuki XR14 RG500 that carried Sheene to four victories during the 1976 season. Completed with the help of Suzuki’s Vintage Parts Program, the bike — a factory version of the RG500 — had its restoration documented on video (shown below) right up to the moment the bike was started for the first time. Still owned by the Sheene family, the race bike will appear at number of events throughout the year, including the British Motorcycle Grand Prix on August 27. — CAS